An informal post-Boston Wine Expo gathering brought togther 8 local geeks (well, 4 geeks and 4 spouses) and 2 out of town dignitaries for some Sunday night merriment. I know I missed at least 6 wines but here is what I did sample...
1998 Etienne Sauzet Puligny Montrachet Les Referts (Burgundy) Served blind. Pretty, oxidized nose (if you like that sort of thing, which I do) with a bit of fruit flavor and not much else. Ok
2004 Clos du Tue-Boeuf Touraine Le Buisson Pouilleux (Loire) Flowery, clovey, rich, good acid. I’d never have guessed this was sauvignon blanc but that’s ok, because it’s fun as it is.
2005 Bernard Gautier Vouvray Sec (Loire) Tasty albeit simple chenin. Beeswax, lemon, rich body, good acid. It’s missing some depth and needs more minerality. Jake’s glad it doesnt taste like his sweater.
2005 Thomas-Labaille Sancerre Les Monts Damnés “Cuvée Buster” (Loire) Now this is tasty sauvignon blanc. Zippy citrus infused with minerals. Good stuff
2002 Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Semper Excelsior Clos des Noëlle (Loire) Ok, this has been open for a couple of days and it’s a bit warm. It’s very flavorful and rich with slate but it’s far too fat. I’d love to try a fresh bottle of this at proper temperature.
2004 Von Volxem Altenberg Alte Reben Riesling (Mosel) #1105. Whoa baby. Awesome young riesling. Rich white fruit, lots of slate, racy, crisp, and very very delicious. Needs time to for it’s weight to calm down but it’s yum.
2004 Edmunds St. John Bone Jolly (El Dorado County) Well, this wine showed wonderfully. Snappy cherry and strawberry, rich in soil, light on the palate, tasty, and mouthwatering.
1995 Torrepalino Etna Rosso Solicchiata (Sicily) Fruity red sprinkled with volcanic ash. On the down side but pretty interesting, in a good way.
2005 Laurent Gauthier Chiroubles Chatenay Vieilles Vignes (Beaujolais) More excellent gamay. Bright cherry, good acid, fine minerality, nice flavor
1996 Hubert Lignier Chambolle Musigny (Burgundy) Sweet! Great Chambolle nose but the wine is surprisingly tight and young. This is going to be really good in a few years.
2004 Dard et Ribo St. Joseph (N. Rhône) Once you get past the ass and petillance, this wine is pretty good. Sweet fruit, solid tannins, some spice.
2000 Louis Claude Desvignes Morgon (Beaujolais) Even more gamay. This one didn’t do much for me. Fairly dull compared to the Chiroubles and Bone Jolly.
2001 Jasmin Côte-Rôtie (N. Rhône) Yummy. Young but really delicious. Sure it needs time to develop but all the pieces are there. Silky smooth and elegant.
2003 Vriesenhof Enthopio (Stellenbosch) Not sure what to make of this pinotage blend. Old shoes? Wet mink coat? Taste isn’t as horrid but it’s tough getting past the nose.
1994 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese (Nahe) #05 95 Very angular at first. Sharp acid, sharp fruit, abrupt finish. But the next day…mmm, mmm, good. Nicely matured petrol nose, orange creamsicle palate, good citrus acidity. Hide this away for a good long time.
1999 Paul Anheuser Kreuznacher Krötenpguhl Riesling Beerenauslese (Nahe) Young, rich and powerfully sweet. Lots of citrus and burnt sugar flavor depth. Give this one some time to develop or drink it now if you want a sugar rush.
2002 Anonymous Taurasi (Campania) Damn good homebrew brought back from our hosts relatives in Rome. It’s a little rough and very young but the nose has that rich, tar, earthy rubber smell and griping tannins that I love in good aglianico. Suprisingly good.